OPINION: Ray O’Neill

“Don’t x your life so that you’re le alone when you come to the middle of it,” is a sage piece of advice given by an older gay man to a young woman in a lm I watched over Christmas. It’s something we could all do well to listen to.

In the midst of lazy Christmas downtime, watching films and eating delicious food that cannot be good for you (carbs!), came 1998’s The Object of My Affection. I hadn’t seen it in a while and remembered it as pushing the Will and Grace dynamic of gay guy and gal pal into a more honest, tender, raw space. Now I’m in my mid-40s, my point of poignant identification no longer came from the gay/gal dynamic, but from the supporting role of ‘older gay man’ played by Nigel Hawthorne, who in his singleness sagely advises Jennifer Aniston’s character: “Don’t fix your life so that you’re left alone right when you come to the middle of it.”

About GCN

Our cover star this month Michelle Visage talks about the impact of RuPaul’s Drag Race on its contestants and the world, how being the mother of a queer child has made her more political, and how she’ll be behaving on the panel of Ireland’s Got Talent. ACT UP Dublin get real with the government about PrEP, we ask why there is complete invisibility of Roma LGBT people in Ireland, and we meet a contingent of courageous defenders of LGBT+ human rights across the globe. Plus, new dance-pop kids on the block, Sofi Tukker tell us just can’t believe they’re on every radio in the States, and we explore the impact of tech on queer relationships. It’s a meaty mix for February!